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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219056">Fate/Atlantis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evoltolove/pseuds/Evoltolove'>Evoltolove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:33:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219056</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evoltolove/pseuds/Evoltolove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Fifteen years ago, an underwater mining operation in the middle of the Atlantic ocean caused Atlantis, awoken from its deep slumber. The mythical continent arose from the deep ocean, reshaping landscapes, climates and politics. Humanity began to seek out this new land.  Atlantis,filled with ruins and new fauna, became the epicenter of discovery and exploration. Countries scrambled to take advantage of this unknown land, new business categories flooded the market, numerous corporations partnering up with governments are sponsoring  excavation teams and committees. However, this type of ambition is not without a cost.  As Atlantis emerged from its slumber, with it, most of Eastern United States coastline submerged under the Atlantic ocean, The British Isles suffered 80% population reduction, massive refugee migration from Western Europe to Eastern Europe. Russian Winter suddenly expanded into areas like Germany, The West African Coast became an important stop before entering Atlantis. Although Asian countries did not suffer as much, it remained as significant  as the epicenter of world economy. A clash of epic is about to set onto this wasteland, come and find out</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Does anyone have any questions?” A question followed by long paused silence, a young lady standing in front of her class, slowly turning her back and erasing the white board behind her. While she tries to remove markings on the board, the markers are absolutely terrible. The teaching assistant really needs to buy a new set of these before the next week. As she finishes cleaning up the board, turning towards her class. In a classroom, full of bored and confused faces looking at her without emotion. “Well, we can end here today,” as she feels the pressures from the student's sign of wanting to leave the classroom already. “Do not forget the exam next week, I will be having a review session by the library if anyone wants it!” She gives an awkward smile, before she knows it, most of the students have bolted out of the class already. As the teaching assistant holding out the door for the last student to leave, she feels defeated, after years of intense schooling, thousand hours of research participation, but she simply can’t teach a basic physics class? Now, that’s just disappointing to say the least. Her I.D. Card, attaching to her lanyard, with her name and headshot on it </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Abigail Sayako, Teaching Assistant, University of Britannica.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Abby rolls her eyes as she puts the I.D. badge back into her backpack, while she knows that how capable she is at dissecting nuisance of the historical division between Poland and Russia or how have the Silk Road completely shaped modern trading aspect and yet she has failed to motivate a classroom of 30 college freshman to learn about the modern impact of the rise of a whole new continent. As she comes out of the lecture complex, droplets of rain racing down from the skies, the murky cloud already has covered the once bright sunlight. Some of the students let out signs of disappointment. Within a minute, the crispy sound of droplets bouncing off the umbrella masks away the rushing footsteps of students and the chatters come from them. Just out of her luck, Miss Sayako forgot about today’s forecast, it is going to be a downpour. Without anything protecting her from, she wants to spring across the campus as fast as she can. She knows that she wants to return to her office as soon as possible. The normal path would take her forever to get back to office since there have been road constructions causing delays. Instead, she decides to take around the university garden road that a lot of students take. But to her surprise the usually lonely dirty road behind the lecture building is filled with students. Against the chilling wind, opposed by rain smacking her face, passing through crowds of umbrellas without excusing herself, closing her eyes just for a moment and rushing around without looking. Only to hit her head with something, Abby opens her eyes, only to be greeted by streetlight.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember we had light on campus for this road.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of rain has stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Abigail now senses the chatter diminished into silence, the downpours suspend in a moment, the winds no longer howl she turns her head around only to be greeted by dense fog, a row of street light with dimming across the garden road in uniform, no sign of any students anywhere as she looks around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where, what the hell is going on?” as she panics and tries to keep herself calm. “Wait what the fuck, huh?????”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inspecting the area, the road no longer dirt, but instead in  grey bricks forming a proper flooring, the row of streetlights forming into paths. To her left a clock tower has erected in front of her, beacons her amidst the grey sky with dimming lights, it feels like she is only a few steps away from it. She can see the top of the clock tower, with time reads at 11:30, and an overpass shaped like a structure to the right.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s...wait what the fuck..” the girl squints her eyes and scouts the area with profuse sweats. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> She can see droplets pause in the space like translucent pearls scattering across in the air, leaves blown by the winds pauses just like those droplets. Whatever she had carried with her disappeared, confused by the situation. There is only one way for her to go, towards the clock tower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she starts to journey her way toward the destination, she also starts to take notice of this new biome. There is only one brick road leading towards the clock tower, the fogs are dense to cover whatever it is outside of the streetlight area. She can barely make out the silhouette of bushes and trees on the side of the road. The teaching assistant gently presses the raindrops in the air with her finger, only for it to burst into more bubbles as the water disperse and form new frozen droplets. The dim street lights flicker across the brick road, as they shine and dim throughout the spectrum. The echoing of her own footstep as she looks around to find anybody else makes her feel uneasy, yet, she is magnetized by that clock tower luring her. But the more she tries to approach it, the further it seems is away from her. An endless trek, an unreachable goal, as she continues to wander toward her end. It feels like an eternity or so it seems, she looks up the tower again, 5 minutes have passed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously, what the fuck is going,” Abigail tires to pull out her cellphone only to find it missing in her pocket. She panics for a moment, but only to realize she has left the phone on the kitchen counter in the morning as she had to rush to class. With no way to contact anyone, she rustles her long hair, not knowing what to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ARGGGH!” a bellowing screech can be heard from the distance away from her, and followed by gunshots. Abigail pauses for a moment, not knowing what to do, it sounds painful, did someone get shot? What the actual hell is going on, it sounds like it comes from the clock tower direction. Taking some assessments, she decides it is not best to venture towards the clock while if there is a murder going on, it is best for her just to return. Just as she turns around and starts to track her way backwards, something is not right. Instead of streetlights lining up, phone booths join them, the brick road is no longer gray but in red, and before she knows it. Abigail is already near the overpass, and she turns her head back, the clock tower is far far away. The rains and leaves are still frozen in time, but the fog has become much denser, her field of vision diminished as she approaches the overpass and finds a gruesome sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A headless corpse, half torned and disfigured, is lying right before her. The blood oozing through the brick cracks with giant footprints marking all over the place. Abigail feels nusanced by the sight, a headless man corpse with a missing left arm and right leg rile with perfect bite marks, his cloth has been ripped to shreds. A loaded gun next to him, with some bullet casings on the ground. She gulps, picking up the gun, both hands shaking. Is she frightened by the current situation of the unknown? Well that is such an obvious answer, it would be an insult to the reader's intelligence to describe it. Right now there is only one thing on her mind, if she will just be glad getting home safely now more than anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A low growl emerges on the other side of the overpass, vibrating in sluggish frequency.  A lion-like creature covered in white fur leaps across, lands a few inches from the girl with the half loaded gun. Faceless creature, its rugged furs cover its eyes, nose, legs and tails. Its sharp talons stained with fresh blood only a step away from swiping Abby’s head off, its teeth almost human like with lion like canine reading at her with a beast like grin. Almost a humanlike smile but there is nothing fun about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl and beast stand across each other, for a moment. Suddenly, the sound of the clock tower in the distance strikes echo across, and within a moment notice. The white beast leaps into the air and pounce on Abigail. And before she knew it, it was over…….   </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chapter 2</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>The office is a mess, collapsing books piling on top of each other, loose manuscripts all over the floor, the wallpapers are in crumbling states. Dim light shine thanks to the candle stubs placed around the top of bookcases at the corners. Here, a bald man in his forties is examining the head of an Astral Critter, the condition of the beast mount is not great, damp and its white mane splashed with its dry blood.Upon closer examination with his magnifier, the beast’s teeth are still intact while all the runic languages. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As long as the Critter manes and teeth are still preserved, it can make a decent display. The bald examiner looks over the bag next to the candle, the reeks of the beast have been leaking from the bag. That foul stench from the mist world is not an ordinary smell, not to mention even with gloves, the slimy touch brings discomfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t bring back the exhibit in a better state?” He looks up and tosses away the greasy gloves, turning towards the white coated figure at the corner who is flipping through the book. “I was hoping you could have been more careful on gathering the specimens”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The redcoat, stop flipping the book, pauses for a second. As he exits from the dim corner, a youthful man with hair hue of crimson, in his late teens, the white coat outing covers the black furs inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I brought back what you have asked,” he points the book at the bald man, “Lord Ivanholff, do not start pushing the limit of term.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not asking for too much here, Mr.Akabane, we specifically had an agreement on the condition of display-” Lord Ivanholff brushes away rude gesture and gives Akabane a stern look “-must be”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It must be prestige and unfiltered by any external or internal condition that includes physical or magical damage to the head, torso, and legs.” Akabane replies back at the bald in a unimpressed tone “As long as there is no signs of physical damage that inherently hinder the display properties of exhibit, the hunting party bares no fault or penalty according to the contract.” He holds up his left palm, “your payment as per agreement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fourth head of Ivanholff clan gives up, there is no point arguing with the kid. As he hands over the payment to the boy, he takes a deep breath and returns his gaze at the divided part of Critter. Regardless of the Critter’s corpse, it is in much better condition than what other hunters had brought back from the Hunting Ground.While, he can not complain too much since Akabane has a strong reputation with other departments, and no other hunters are capable to effectively poaching beasts than this child from the Far East. The Mage Association has been trying to recover from the massive mage population loss in Europe due to Atlantis displacements, they have been doing a lot of rebuilding and reconstructing, thus outsource jobs like hunting essential ingredients to mages from other parts of the world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you a bit too young for this line of work?” The department professor for the Neo Clock Tower Zoology jests at Akabane with sarcastic tone “Surely, your reputation precedes you, even so a beast like this type of Shadow Eater will require a team of expert hunters to take down. And yet, here we are, fully dissected Astral Critters laying on my table from limbs to limbs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akabane does not respond to him, instead just swipes the payment and starts to count how much he has earned. Minutes of silence, the red head looks up and glares at Ivanholff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Well, what is it?” The head of Zoology returns a similar glare at the boy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From what I am looking at, you have been collecting parts from monsters that are in the 4th tier magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, it is my duty as the head of department to keep exhibits of creatures the students study.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yet, you are only keeping certain parts of bodies instead of buying the whole set of creatures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe that could be considered none of your business,” Ivanholff ends the exchange in a stern voice, “now if there’s nothing else, if you would excuse me.” He walks away from Akabane and opens the door as a sign for the hunter to leave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe our business has concluded.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akabane shrugs and smiles, as he walks past the department head,  gives his farewells.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just for you information, there was someone else presented in the Mist Realm while I was doing the job.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you did not think to tell me earlier?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not necessary, she was already unconscious when I found her.” The boy turns towards the hallway and walks away from the head office. “I wouldn’t worry about her, probably she might think it was just a dream. Now if you need any future jobs, I already have left my business card on your desk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of the office door closing echoing across the hallway in the middle of night, tightly lighted hall shimmering with amberish hue. Akabane footsteps soon become the only resonances across the floor. Tonight pay is decent enough, €50,000 for a monster’s head. Not a bad bounty at all. He lifts up his sleeve, and checks with the time, it is 11:05. The night sky is bright as well, tonight’s super moon has made the shadow he casts much much bigger in shapes. As he descends down from the second floor of the Unity Tower. He can not shake off the image of that girl in the rain, who was lying unconscious in a puddle of Critter’s blood unharmed. Not a single scratch, this college girl, in her 20’s, collapsed in the middle of Mist Realm. He couldn’t even get a magical reading from her, a powerless human suddenly appeared in a dimension filled with fourth tier magical beasts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just what the hell is going on,” as he rubs his hands together to generate some heat circulation when the chilly winds breeze through the opening windows, Akabane is still thinking about her. “There’s no way she is capable of entering and exiting like that.” He declares it as if someone is listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walks out of the building, the moon shines on the campus roads without mistakes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akabane looks back at the tower clock hand striking 11:10, and smirks at Lord Ivanholff’s office on the second floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That old man is really hoping he can recreate a classic chimera using those body parts?! The cost of performing a ritual like that would have cost his entire magic circuit to be pruned. I give him no more than five minutes to live if he is successful, a chimera is meant to be killed, not to be tamed. Stupid human.” Akabanes ends his remarks with gleeful jeers, but pauses for a moment as if someone has been conversing with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I got what we came for, bald head was stupid enough to believe that I did this for the cash.” He pulls the envelope filled with cash, a vial filled with red liquid, and a blood smeared name tag. As he recounts bounty he received from the Lord, and pops open the vial, as the red liquid drips out he bends it to his will, finally takes a good look at that name tag </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ Abigail Sayako, Teaching Assistant, University of Edinburgh” he looks surprised by her name, “so, she is a hybrid.”  From her picture, a fairly looking girl with a princess cut, black long hair, in a somewhat typical placid white dress. Nothing too fanciful for him to discover. And yet she was the only one that was sleeping next to the body of already dead Astral Critter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “What?” He hears a question, “yeah I found this next to her. Well, since we already got Red Mercury from his collection,” Akabane looked at the pool of red liquid he just poured out moments ago, now in a ball shape lucidly smoothing itself. “It wouldn’t hurt to check what's up with her, I mean we still got a couple of days left before the war begins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a moment and waits for a moment to respond with a big grin on his face, “Ah yes, we will be heading back to your origin, isn’t that right, Lancer?” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>From a distance, as the sound of midnight strikes from bell tower, the clear night skyline beams through the old abandoned warehouse at the city’s outskirts. An old warehouse used to store paper products. With wall linings rust away in its copper, bronze and various metallic elements. As one touches the physical properties become rough, spiky with a hint of erosion, if one is not careful, the summation of pains will add up. Hollowness,  should be the perfect word to detail the empty echo coming from this large and unimpressed box. Its moldy and bronze reflection under the moonlight, the broken windows all around invite the nightly breeze to enter from open high rise roofs to the basement cellular filled with cockroaches. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Akabane slightly waves his finger as he points at the front gate, within an instance, the locked warehouse gate opens with an elongated red spear with key shaped tips. The red spear submerges back into a pool of red slime as he beckons it back towards his direction. The interior of this place is much as one can expect, the blemishing lamplights swing back and forth as the night winds wobble strings of wire that will certainly cause the light to fall any minute. Not all of the lights are working either, as the boy continues to travel further in, uneven numbers of light fades in and out. But thanks to bright moonlight, the path further down never seems dark. Along the path continues, giant machineries lined up alongside each other,resting away in dusts, it looks like this place has not been in use in years. One swipe on the machine can turn the fingertip bright grey. Interior decorations worn out due to erosion from rains and temperance of land. Brownish and aqueous mold spurts across the machine’s plating. As Akabane approaches the end of his path, a hangar, unlike the rest of the warehouse, the walls sealed, window unbroken but still dimmed with darkness,  an open space of emptiness with few exceptions to visible eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A table to the north, a collection of computers on top of the table, a couch lining up the wall, a beaten up car parked near where Akabane is now. As he continues to approach the table filled with stacks of newspapers and reports. He can hear the particular sound of an echo, the echo of a wooden dummy. Not too far away from where the red hair is, a slim, muscular man in a ponytail is counter-blocking his own move with the wooden dummy. The martial artist covered only by his black transparent shawl is on his shoulder and bends his knee as he gets ready to strike. His right palm clutches into a fist as the left palm remains steady aligned with his vision, as his arms crisscross, the bicep muscles build up more visible than before he is about to strike. In one singular motion, the right knuckle swipes underneath the vertical left palm and just about the fist is about to hit, it reverts back into the palm facing the dummies and hitting the wooden handle. Within mere seconds, his left palm suddenly transforms into fist and blocks the dummy’s rotation. The strike routine is finished, and yet it is never finished, it is the only beginning. As he continues, the sweat drips down from his head, to shoulder and eventually travels down to his abdomen. His silky, black hair extends all the way down to his waist; as the amount of sweat continues to drip down, that transparent should shawl unveil itself: the right arm has the Dragon tattoo wraps all around from the biceps, triceps and armpit, with the Dragon’s head is clearly visible at his right bosom,asymmetrically at his left shoulder, the Mudan flowers root itself and extend through down his left arm. Across from his left breast to the chiseled abdomens on the same side, Mudan flowers bloom and fade as his breathing in episodic rates. The jade Mudan leaves remain evergreen as one can see the flowers on his body come to life. His arm-guards, in deep azure and gold never fades away as the moonlights enhance the colour palate, in glittering gold and flushing blue, each hit under the dim light, is crisp and mesmerizing. The waist is  exotic, strong and seductive, with muscles stacking each other with firmness and yet, slim enough allow greater reflexes for him for more actions. The waist guard is similar to the arm-guards (in azure and gold), encasing enough protection yet allowing enough freedom for him to move around. White and red ribbons add extra flares as his upper and lower body coordinates with each other, a showmanship of sorts, the indicator for the audience to notice. For his lower body, the ponytail beauty dresses modestly, pants with spacious room that extend down to the middle of ankle, as the leg-guards defend closely to the part of legs where he lands the killing blows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His movements strike in singular motion adding to the dummy’s rotation, ebbs and flow thorough as the dummy continues to return his strike. A dance, under the midnight moon, echo vibrates in the air as precision strike, enchanting the audiences to a mesmerizing motion. And the magician flawlessly delivers such amazing performance.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“If the Assassin is here, then she must be here too.” Akabane snaps himself out of the trance, scouting over other areas to see where his master might be. The servant, captivated by his own routine, does not mind any attention to our boy in red, and continues to do his art. Akabane scouting over the vast emptiness in the hangar, trying to look for someone. Without noticing, someone approaches him and gives him a slap on the back of the head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you promise us that you would be back before midnight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning his back, there is a woman standing facing him, crossing her arms, her right index finger tapping the left bicep as she gazes at Akabane with a sturdy look. She has a fair, unforgettable and pretty face. In her light blue jeans, a pair of high heel boots to the ground, in a black coat with a large red t-shirt complimenting each other. On her right hands, holding a pile of papers as she lets out a sigh of relief, seeing Akabane has returned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Red, this is something we have talked about, no more secret, if we are going to expose Natulius and whatever it has connection to Atlantis, we have to work as a team.” she does not move her field of vision as the boy walks away after turning his head around. “You have been gone for two weeks with no communication, suddenly you called me with a landline just yesterday and told us to meet you here tonight, and all from central London.” She expresses what she has been on her mind for a while to him. “Anyways, there are leftover takeout foods on the table if you want to eat...we left it for you.” As she finishes her concerns, the boy takes out the envelope of bounty and hands it to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this,” she grabs the envelope and starts to open it, “where did you get all this cash?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Hunting” He replies as he moves his head around to adjust it “by the way I just don’t trust technology like those cellular phones you are talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean hunting?” The reporter looks at him with even more confusion and tosses the envelope of money onto the table. “Please properly explain everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I took out some odd jobs to make some money, is that good enough explanation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No odd jobs pay that well,” before he can notice, she sits down with her laptop, flips it open and shows a recording of the boy walking around the town during the day. “I have checked with the security feed, you have been in this area for at least a week now, I highly doubt any odd jobs would require you to stay in one place for a long period. Secondly consider your clothes, if you really had done some dirty jobs like hunting, then how come i don’t see you with change to your attire, no bloodstain, no dirt, no mess. Finally, since you were the one who summoned us all the way to the countryside, and yet you are the one who is late. If you truly have done odd jobs, and paid that much amount of money, with an amount of late hours. Wouldn’t that raise suspicion?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy remains silent and shrugs at her deductions, just sorta tunes out whatever her remaining message. All he can think about it has been the teaching assistant laying fainted on ground next to the Astral Beast, no ordinary human would be capable of entering that place, he reaches his pants and feels that bloody ID badge. But he knows the reporter in front of him is still questioning what he has been up to date. So, instead of counteracting her questioning with more aggression, he decides to say this </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel worried about me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way he expresses a hint of regret and manipulation, he looks at with somewhat of a pouty, innocent face. But she can see through his shitty attempt to listen to him, the boy has a terrible acting face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you really mean it? Red” she rebuttals him with another firm inquiry, “or it is just another facade to get me off your back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That innocent face he pretends to put up is gone, only leaving the same blank face he has into the base with “Only if you stop calling me that nickname.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, how am I supposed to address you properly then, when you change your name every time meeting some new strangers when I am with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the point of the alias, they are not supposed to know our real identity,” he looks at her like she has never been using a fake name before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, only if these identities are really consistent and having a backstory, do you know how much trouble I have to go through on my laptop to make appropriate ID for your new IDs? So, addressing you as Red is the only consistent characteristic about you since your hair is red anyways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, fine” the boy conceded as he knows that arguing won’t be any useful to their alliance. He sounds defeated and just no longer interested in the debate for his names.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he can leave the reporter’s vicinity, she hands him a phone. He looks at it with bewilderment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take it, call me in case if you ever need help” She beckons him to take it. The boy cautiously grabs it and examines it with due diligence. “Come on, my number is already in the contact list, just call me right now so I can add your phone to my contact.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t trust technology, you know” he replies with a stern tone, “they are the works of the devil!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, it is all encrypted, and beside are burner phones, no one is able to trace it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red looks at her, then looks at the phone, and looks at her again and back to the phone. He stares at the blank black screen for at least good a minute, and looks at the reporter again and back to the phone. His face suddenly turns pale, his thumb shaking, hands trembling, sweats forming on the forehead. Anxieties and tensions start to build up in the room, the reporter gazes at him with firmness and curiosity. Red gulps and firmly presses on the black screen in one strike with his thumb. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But nothing happens, so he presses the screen again, and again and again. The phone screen remains pitch black. Red’s face turns from pale to red, his face turns away from the reporter as he lowers his cheek, he continues to fluster as he can feel the reporter is judging him. The young lady is genuinely trying to hold back her laughter, she would have never thought a young male teen doesn't know how to operate a phone, her lips continue to be sealed as much as she can, her stomach hurts, she just wants to burst it out loud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me that you refuse to call me because…” she can’t help it anymore, her laughter echoes throughout the hangar, the sound of the dummy being hit is interrupted by her. “You don’t know how to turn on the phone! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe, you don’t know how to turn on the phone... “ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red, in all of state of his fluster, feels embarrassed by his own idiocy. Sharply turns away from the reporter in a real pouty face, tosses the phone back to her and tells her that</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, do whatever you want, see if I care! Hmph!”    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walks away from the conversation, rubbing his cheeks slightly and let out a big sigh, soon, he returns to the table and hoping to figure what’s the next step, travel to Edinburgh to find that girl or get on with the war since he had secured enough funds for the travel to Atlantis. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Assassin approaches from the training dummy with a white towel on his shoulder, as he uses it to wipe the dripping sweats away in one stroke from his forehead down to his cheek. The escaped sweats slowly make their way down to his mudan tattoos, as flowers blooming after the rain, the droplets make their way down under as they travel from jade leaves into red petals.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oya, Master, have you gotten soft on him lately?” the shadow boxer places his hands on the reporter’s shoulder. “That’s not what you said before the Sage got here.” Then gently tapping a finger on his right cheek, looking up and trying to recite what the reporter has said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ I am going to kill him when that little dweeb gets here! He always does this, never tells me anything straight, always so cryptic about his message! Ugh, it is like we agree to form a team after what happened in New York and no less than three days after that he just vanishes in a flash for days!” He gives off a refreshing wink at her just as the dim lights shine on his smile crystalized in a frame. “Now you are going this soft on him by offering him food and phone, that’s really cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ASSASSIN!” Just as the table has turned for her, for instance, her face becomes reddish, the fists become clutched, the volume of voice has risen to hide her embarrassment. “Don’t give him anymore room so he will be a smart-ass about it---”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hehe, my bad, my bad, Master,” the Assassin gazes back at her through beaming eyes, and gives a devilish smile in that handsome face. His green-amberish iris sends a calming signal, the wavy bangs hide away the sharp eyebrows, and yet, the side bangs lingers away at his cheek. The femininity of the face paints him like the watercolor of a female dancer in the ancient world and yet upon close inspection, that beaming eyes hide away the sense of determination of masculinity. Dazed, stunned, and eventually flustered by Assassin’s tease, the reporter tries to recompose herself with a tiny whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you are teasing, idiot…..” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The reporter returns her focus back to the boy in the coat, who has not paid any attention to her and Assassin’s exchange. Instead, he is looking at her laptop with keen focus. Walking towards him, she can see him struggling with the keyboard as he is pressing the keys on the keyboard one by one. Frustrated by his slow progress, she yanks the laptop from him as he is startled by her action.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell was that for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You type too slow”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are like an old grandparent who doesn’t know how to operate a fax machine. You are in your teens, how do you not know how laptop keyboards work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t I tell you that I am not a child at all? I am NOT even human to begin with!” What the reporter has said really struck a nerve with him, like she just has pushed a button on his particular concern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>  “Yeah keep telling yourself that, look I get it, you are sixteen, you want to be edgy, you want to be different, I have been through that with my teen years with male friends. They all think like that.” She rebuttals with a devilish smirk, “anyways, why are you looking at the map of Edinburgh?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing particular…” he tries to brush away the subject rather quickly as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Red…..” the sharp-writer grows impatient with his answer, “tell me what it is why you need to go Ireland, now”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a point of interest for me in the Land of Celts,” he lets out a big sigh, “I need to go to that location to find it.” as he points to the campus location on the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we are not going to Atlantis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we are still going there, but I need to make a stop in that country, if anything you can go to the Sea Continent before me.” Returning his attention back to the reporter and he says in a definitive tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ummmmm, what really intrigued you in Ireland though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, I need to confirm something before the War begins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> With that, the exchanges become silent, there is no tension in the atmosphere, not awkwardness either but rather the mundanity of midnight descends upon the hangar. However, the reporter suddenly remembers something, looks at the Crimson Child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have promised you would reveal your servant once we get to Europe. Now, it is time.” The reporter gazes at him with ferocity and determination. “Come on, it is only fair when there is trust between us and beside, I have revealed Assassin to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I saw you summoned him, that’s not the same thing as revelation.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without hesitation, the reporter pinches the boy’s cheeks with force in horizontal fashion, the pain is somehow more prominent than he had anticipated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get wordy with me, kid. I have gotten a Graduate degree for this, don’t try to win on a technicality!”              </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy looks at the ponytail Assassin for help, but only for the Assassin gives a gentle smile and signals the teen that there is nothing the Assassin can do in this situation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, you win.” the reporter lets go of her hands from his cheeks, as he rubs away the damages, he looks at her with a defeated sigh and yells. “Lancer!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence for a moment, suddenly, Assassin notices an unfamiliar sound. He peeks at his blind spots, he certainly hears it, a sound of woosh. A car? No, it sounds much sharper, faster, and more accurate. It doesn’t sound like bullets, too quiet compares to guns and barrels. Arrows? Nay, too heavy, you can hear the path of trajectory coming from the main entrance. Before he can make an accurate judgement, a flashing red line is coming towards him. He needs to move away right now before it hits him! Thus, on his quick feet, he narrowly dodges as the red line lands just centimetres away from his stomach. Now he sees it properly, a red spear, lands on the ground where he has been. Its tip jabs into the deep ground, penetrates through the soil in acute angles. Thanks to his own skill and class, he is able to make a quick dodge from that attack. He collects himself for a second, footsteps are approaching the hangar from the main entrance. The origin of spear and footsteps reveals itself as a woman in clad purple suit, her face covered by a shadowy veil, another red spear in her hand. As she raises the other spear directly at him without hesitation. The signal of a challenge from her to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a brief moment, the Assassin lowers his head and in a burst of laughter, bends his knees and raises his fists with a wide devilish grin on his face to accept the spearwoman’s challenge.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “SO THE HOLY GRAIL WAR HAS BEGUN!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This story has no smut</p><p>¯\_(ツ)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The story continues</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Short Chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Before moving back to the action, shifting away from the showdown in the hangar. Meanwhile in Fuyuki, Japan, the morning rays chide away the fuzziness of dawn. Amidst the high rise buildings that have been rebuilt after the War, a towering presence leaking to every direction, the Hyde Tower. A structure of magnificent, in presence rivaling the tower in Tokyo, glamorous, epic, sturdy all in one. The giant, luxurious hotel contains about eighty-fives floors, with over two dozen rooms within each level, golden wallpapers wrap around the corridors, carpets of complex patterns spread across the floor like flood, as dazzling wall lights slowly dim out as the sun rays penetrate around the transparent glass of each level. Each level, the hallways are quiet, and yet on the very top floor. At the extravagant Penthouse remain livid throughout the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within the room, right across as one opens the gate, a long dining table located in the center of the room. Elongated, decorated, gilded by decorated metals, as it reflects by the diamond chandelier hanging on the ceilings. And across each end, a young lady accompanied by her butler sitting towards a young boy who is enjoying a particular fantasy breakfast. The young woman, early twenties, with lush black hair, with an elegant black dress patterned in roses and silky stocking, pressing her hands together, squints at her opposite as the boy nonchalantly eating like a snail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Must you have to wake me up this early?” she jeers as the boy takes a small bite at his breakfast plate, his attention is solely focused on the food, not on her right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she voices her concern, she sneaks a glance at her butler. “I thought our business had already concluded!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The butler is in a light grey-ish suit with a deep blue tie, a handsome fellow nevertheless to say, tall, confident and stern. Instead of paying attention to the heiress, his eyes are staring directly at the rude morning guest, as he is furrowing the brows and becoming more attentive for the guest. Not a moment sooner, as the cloud passes, rays of sunlight emit into the room. The rays reflect the fellow’s face, dazzling and sparkling, this man’s face transforms into the reflective surface of a black diamond.  The girl tugs her servant’s sleeve as to get his attention,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arjuna,” she proclaims his name loudly and proudly “don’t waste your time bothering him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Master,” Arjuna returns with an eye contact in a stern tone, “that’s not what I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Arjuna is about to finish that sentence, a large sound of utensils dropping onto the empty plate, as the boy licks his right thumb, shakes his left leg and just stares at the two across the table from him. The boy with long medium hair in half black and half red fashion, in traditional Japanese white and grey pattern kimono, shoulder by a large military cloak, two hair clips: black and white, resting safely on the front left side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that was a good meal, don’t you think?” as the boy smirks at the heiress, he knows that this is getting on her nerves, so he leaves the chair. “We should really do this more often, sometimes with Archer or something.” As he waves his index finger toward ceilings and gives a quick glance up.  Just as the cloaked young man stands up, Arjuna stands in front of the heiress as he lends out his right arm to block her reaching forward and forming a barrier between the girl and the boy. The boy, on the other hand, pays no attention to this maneuver; instead, he moves toward the window as he overlooks the entire Fuyuki city on the highest point in the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The princess in black dress, crosses her legs and arms, takes a deep breath and lets out a conclusive question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shamen, what exactly do you want from me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bang!” he replies as he fires off an empty blast at direction of Fuyuki Bridge with his finger, “It is called Onmyoji in Japan, be more sensitive you know with these things” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care, what do you want?” At this point, her tone of voice no longer able to keep her visible frustration in secret at him, she stands up and slams on the table. “You think you can just barge into my hotel room this early morning without announcements?!” Her face flushed with red, she stares at the mage with the eastern cloak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Onmyoji, who has been giving off a smirk during the heiress’s frustration, stops his smirk with a deadpan look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know exactly what I am here for, my dearest Ania,” he points at her and slowly moves it toward Arjuna. “It is time, Archer, Atlantis awaits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deep down, she knows, the moment Onmyoji returns. There is no escape, the Holy Grail War is here. She becomes silent, unable to find the right rebuttals because that was the contract and Arjuna’s true purposes.  She becomes silent with this realization, from what she has learned, this Holy Grail War is a battle royal of individuals for a single wish. And yet, as of right now, she has what she always wanted. There is someone who will always be there for her, the girl leaves her seat and the butler follows. She approaches the balcony and looks out in the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The daylight and cloud compliments each other without hinge, the blueness of sky and whiteness of the cloud blends like oil painting, flocks of birds travel eastbound in sync. Today is a good day to go out just with her and Arjuna, and yet, that little weasel shows up and tells me that Arjuna has to leave. She remains silent for several moments, but not before Arjuna penetrates her mind with his smoothing voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I await your decision, Master.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My decision? What does he mean by that, where am I, who am I? A moment of confusion and chaos begins to swirl around her mind. Just for a second, she feels like she is falling into an eye of storm without wings to land safely, the velocity of realizing what the Eastern Sage has told her became real. The girl begins to pace around the balcony faster and faster and shows no sign to stop, then without hesitation, she feels that she bumps into something or someone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The heiress suddenly finds that she is face to face with Arjuna. Since she paces with a vibrating speed, Arjuna decides not to follow her but only for her to bump into him. At that moment, he decides to hold her arms and waist to stop the panic and snap her out of the madness, their bodies are in close quarters, their lips are within centimetres of touching each other, eyes locked. That vibrating lips entrap her even closer to him like the deep sea abyss into the unknown, his eyes filled with energy, gazing at her like the twilight moon staring back at her. His complexions shining and glamouring with energy. All of that, the work of a renaissance statue, is looking at her for direction. In an instance, her face feels red, flustered by the close proximity between the two. She pushes him away out of embarrassment and tries to recompose herself as to brush her bangs with her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arjuna asks her once more with the same question with a genuine smile</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I await your decision, Master” but this time, the girl actually hears his inquiries properly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” as soon as she finishes calming the nerves, “there is not anything we can do about it. That’s the nature of the contract. Listen well here, Onmyoji of East, as the true heir to MoonCell Group. I hereby declare that our contract will only be fully completed after you must ensure Archer wins the Holy Grail War!”  She glares at him with determination and rage, not moving her eyes till he responds. “My only goal is to create a safer world, and I have the ability, the wealth, the power, all of this so no one can suffer if we win this. It is my</span>
  <em>
    <span> noblesse oblige</span>
  </em>
  <span> to create a better world!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy with black and red hair, who has been observing this set of particular events is relatively amused by the sudden change in the girl’s views. Now, sitting on the table, directly facing her, he slaps his thighs ,gives off a big grin, laugh out loud for a decent twenty seconds and responds perfectly</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Humans are truly fantastic creatures!” he rummages his right hand from his forehead to his mouth to calm himself down, “You guys never cease to amaze me! Ah,I shall promise you victory, my dearest Ania. Arjuna will bring you victory and I shall do everything in my power to make sure he will </span>
  <b>WIN</b>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an instance, Arjuna who has been in his suit, suddenly a white flare glows up and his attire changes, donning the white robes. His dark complexions shine brighter with his robe, like a pure lotus amid the sky. On his hand, a large, crystallized Gandiva, reflects away the sun's lights with intensity. Arjuna straightens his back and gives a nod to the girl and answers her command.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, Arjuna of India, the Endowed Hero, shall bring you nothing but victory!”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Extra Material I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So, welcome to the story: </p><p>This is where I go over some of the Fate lore for those who may be confused by some of the settings. But let's do some housekeeping first:</p><p>
  <strong> <em>I am certain I don't have to go deep end with most of everyone since you know, you guys are fate fans </em></strong>
</p><p><strong><em>(honestly,you have to be a Fate fan or else you </em></strong><strong><em>wouldn't be here and spend 10-20 just to read</em> </strong> <em> <b>a fan fiction Holy Grail War). </b> </em></p><p>For those are confused by it, that's why this post exists as a general guide to Fate franchise, and hopefully I can make it easier for you to understand. </p><p>Let's begin with a few general questions that you may have about this piece</p><p>1. Will this be a traditional 7 masters/ servants pairs to enter this War?</p><p>    I would certainly hope that is the basic skeleton for the story, but there is a plan to evolve beyond the traditional format. </p><p> 2.When exactly does this story takes place?</p><p>    It would be 15 years (2019-2020 in the timeline) after the Fuyuki Holy Grail War (so 2004), I would say that it can after either UBW or Heavens Feel Route, as the Atlantis arise maybe a year or two after that two routes. I haven't decided whether it could be UBW or HF because I don't know whether Shirou/Rin/Sakura will most likely to make an appearance. </p><p>3. "Why haven't you have Caster/Rider/Berserker ready as tag?"</p><p>    That's because I legitimately have not find a proper servants for that slot, although I am leaning towards more Western servant since the three out of four confirmed servants are from Asia.</p><p>4. Will you include servants like: Gilgamesh/Artoria/Merlin, etc?</p><p>   That's a hard no for now, but who knows I can change my mind on it. Because the very nature of setting would be problematic if I were to introduce Gilgamesh/Artoria because their particular traits and they would become the pure plot device for the story and will not help other character to grow.</p><p>5. Why Atlantis?</p><p>    It would be certainly easier to write Fuyuki or an established setting, but having a battleground that is more unknown gives a lot of room to imagine<strong>*</strong> . Thus, having enough spaces for us to imagine a much more exciting war than just in settings that readers are familiar with.</p><p>6. Why are the master descriptions are so minimal and not detailed as the Servants so far ?</p><p>    Some of the Masters are inspired by people I know, so, it is very weird to describe them in full detail, that means I would have to stare at this picture for like good 20-30 mins. And that's weird and it just feel uncanny and awkward. But I can assure that they are all beautiful looking model to base the character from. That being said, certainly in the future, future characters will be more detailed as they won't have much as inspiration from in real life**.</p><p>7. Will there be smut?</p><p>    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can't promise anything</p><p>
  <a><b>*SPOILERS WITHIN!</b> </a>
</p><p>
  <b>** Although I can't promise that because I am a dumbass </b>
</p><p> </p><p>If you want to follow any updates, you can find me in <a href="https://twitter.com/Criticalspark">Hell</a></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Archer’s proclamation crosses the sky, the globe spins, shifting back to the empty underground hangar.  Across the ground, signs of battle have already passed, Assassin sits under the moonlight and glares at the nightly skies, the teenage boy stands next to him and glances over the Assassin’s bruises all over the shoulders and arms. </p>
<p>“She really did a number on you, Assas-” the boy collects himself, “did you enjoy yourself with her training? Yan Qing the Wandering Son.”</p>
<p>“Oh-ho,” the handsome assassin replies with a menacing smile, “Just I had expected from you.I wouldn’t often tell anyone my real name like that out of concern for my master’s safety. I hope we can keep using formality to address each other.” As Yan Qing stands up, puts his hands on the boy’s shoulder, whispers in a lowly tone.</p>
<p>“Just because she trusts you, it doesn’t mean I have to trust you.” </p>
<p>The young man, reacting to Yan Qing and his “request” with a blank stare, lets a sigh, brushes Yan’s hand away. </p>
<p>“Do whatever you feel like it is right by your Master, doppelganger, I will not stop you from what you do best.” </p>
<p>“Really now, and how I am going to just trust your words for it?”</p>
<p>“You really do not need to trust me. For all you know, I could have planned to defeat you and kill her tonight.”</p>
<p>“But you won’t, you need us for the war,” Yan Qing tilts his head backward with a sudden realization, “You can't win alone in this war, even with that powerful servant you have, it is impossible for you to do it alone.” Then as he proceeds to skips away from the boy, as if he knows some dark secrets with a big lovely grin.  </p>
<p> The boy, without glancing away, replies back to the black ponytail Assassin. </p>
<p>“Yes, I do need you and her for the Holy Grail war.”</p>
<p>“But you won’t say why, that’s the part where it gets me curious, I can shapeshift into anyone I have my eyes on, and yet, I can’t transform into you.” Yan Qing twirls his finger at the boy, “You told me that you knew who I am as if you had known me in the previous life.”</p>
<p>“And you refer to me as a Sage,” the boy rebuttals him with it as if he is very unhappy to be called by such a moniker. “I hardly think I am one of those fairies. But you are correct, you can’t shapeshift into me.”</p>
<p>“Then that doesn’t mean I can try,” at the moment, Yan Qing’s fist already in the range of the boy’s face. “Prepare yourself.” As his palms spears toward head on with the boy’s vision, Yan Qing realizes he can move forward, something is freezing his arm. A reddish vine strapping with tight force, unable to retract his arm, the vines in their plastic complexion, unable to move his arm. As the Yan Qing struggles with his movement, the boy snaps with his thumb and middle finger, the vine melts into shapeless slime and falls onto the ground. </p>
<p>“Good attempt, though, clearly, you definitely want to watch out for it,” as the boy points his index finger toward the ceiling,as the pile of slime takes the form in round shape, floating above his fingertip. “Still, you can try to shapeshift into me, I can’t guarantee your mana won’t explode from within your vessel. And it completely disfigures that body and causes you an early exit from the War.”</p>
<p>“Just what are you,” Yan Qing looks back at him with frustration, as vines that bind him clearly cause some sort of damage, while the red slime has not broken his bones, the pressure he had felt from it was immense. As if the strength of the vine is not determined by the sheer strength more akin to the concentration of willpower. As he recovers and inspects the damage, the red bruise wrapping around Yan’s forceps as the hot iron striking marks on the anvil, the persistence of constriction reflects throughout his arms. the Assassin glances back at the boy and before he can mutters any other words. The slime is an inch away from his eyes, with the boy pointing at Yan, without a hint of emotion, answers the Assassin’s inquiries.</p>
<p>“I have already told her, I am not human, I am not something she can ever understand, it will drive her to madness.” As the boy lifts away his finger, the projectile fades away from Yan, the boy looks at the journalist who has been beckoning at him and the Assassin. “A discovery has been made, let’s hurry along, time is not on our side.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but next time, I won’t lose to Lancer like that.” Yan Qing winks at him with confidence. The boy shrugs with a nonchalant smile.</p>
<p>As the two walk over, the reporter raises her laptop in the air, beckoning the two to come to her.</p>
<p>“You are not going to believe this,” she flips her laptop screen to display a complex chart and graphic sheets that makes the boy look puzzled and Yan Qing striking his chin as if he sorta understands what she is showing to them. “Well, what do you think?”</p>
<p>“This magic babble makes zero sense to me, explain” the boy demands and points at the screen without any happy expression. </p>
<p>“Seriously?” whatever happiness the reporter just found has been hindered by this young boy’s cold and somewhat hurtful comments. “You can’t read what’s on the screen?”</p>
<p>“I don’t read whatever clairvoyance you have chosen on that magic mirror.”</p>
<p>“It is called a laptop, I really wish you would stop calling it clairvoyance.” She refutes his somewhat archaic expressions. “Which centuries are you living in? The era of Black Plaque?”</p>
<p>“I have lived through it.” He replies without hesitation and she looks at him with a face of disbelief and disappointment.</p>
<p>“Haha, very funny” </p>
<p>“What’s so funny? I have failed to see the humor in this conversation. I was merely stating facts that I had lived through the Great Plagu---”</p>
<p>“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”</p>
<p>“Oh forget it,” her voice in the tone of agony, while Yan Qing smirks at this exchange on the sideline. The reporter turns to Yan and hits him in the stomach  with her laptop edge out of frustration. “You really need to stop enabling him. Assassin, you do a better job communicating with him than I, I hate you.”  </p>
<p>Yan Qing, recomposes himself and readjusts his smirks to a mere smile, apologizes with a wink and starts to translate to the boy in the way it won’t cause the reporter any frustration.</p>
<p>“There is a development in strategy on how to approach the opposition with my Master’s research method.”</p>
<p>The boy pauses for a few minutes, and stares at her laptop, as she is holding it and speaks in a slow manner.  </p>
<p>“Can you share what you have gathered from that thing?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” the reporter calms herself after this silly commotion, “anyways, take a look at this article.” She shares the screen with the boy and the Assassin, the screen reads the following.</p>
<p>“With Atlantis drilling operation is 70% capacity, we suggest that the company shifting to more in depth operation rather than just excavation and scouting, there will be more chances to find more items that could be further use for “Project [Redacted], as the [Redacted] team is very close in completing its objective. Thus, finding and supplying should be the top objectives before any continuation…..” And with it, the reporter suddenly switches the laptop page, and on the screen another set of graphics along with charts appear before them. She points at one of the items, reading it out aloud.</p>
<p>“Are you seeing what I am seeing?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, it shows a bunch of numbers.”</p>
<p>“That’s because it is the expense report for the whole Nautilus division on the American side. I managed to snatch them before I left New York.” As she moves her mouse to highlight some important aspect that she has found is intriguing. “Take a look at this part, it says they have spent over $750,000 in payment to a company that is located in Ireland that does excavation, but I can’t find any information on this company other than an address.”</p>
<p>“Ok”</p>
<p>“Don’t you think it is weird for a mining company to pay almost a million to another mining company to do some excavation?”</p>
<p>“Nautilus corporation is an alien fortress that is played by ancient magic rules of conduct.”</p>
<p>“There you go again, babbling about aliens.”</p>
<p>“It is true, whatever humans think of the company, it is undeniable that there is something unnatural about that company.”</p>
<p>“Yeah like how they are probably connected with powerful players, you know major world leaders have gone to their event forum for the past decade. And some of the top executives were the top government officials. With connections like that, they can do really whatever they want. There is no alien involved.” </p>
<p>The boy, giving a blank stare, just simply replies in his usual serious monotone way.</p>
<p>“Their leader is an alien entity that prey on the star, it travels across the universe and devours worlds. The White Titan, as it was referred to by the Gods of many cultures, consumes worlds by imploring itself. The perpetual grim reaper of universe that has been awakened by man’s stupid mistake.”</p>
<p>The reporter, in disbelief, the boy’s tone has never been this strict and clear forward and yet, it is absolute madness coming from his mouth.</p>
<p>“And how would you know that a mega corporation is run by an Earth death eating alien star thingy?”</p>
<p>“It is not runned by it, it is worshipped by it. That’s not a company, it is a cult.”</p>
<p>“ Ok…. how would you know all of this?” She raises her eyebrow and squints at his response.</p>
<p>“That’s because I am the Child of White Titan.” He looks at her directly without any hesitation. “You said there will be no secret between us, this is the first step to that goal.”</p>
<p>The reporter looks absolutely baffled by this interruption, as she is concerned, the goal has always been exposing Nautilus, and the kid is just mixed up in it because she found him on the street of New York slum. While she just barely accepts the whole concept of magic and servant just about two weeks in, and now he is telling her that there are these types of things?</p>
<p>“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHA” her response turns from frustration to anger to amusement.”Red, you really are something else. You are amazing, you know that!” She looks at him with a big smile, he looks back at her with confusion. </p>
<p>“Let’s go to Ireland and find out what they are hiding!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Where am I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The palace, brimming with sunlight shine upon the floor, dazzles in gold. The hardy brimstone find the foundation. The palm tree swaying back and fore as the calm winds persuade away in left to right motion. The golden hallway, filled with craving of mythical beasts on the wall, glittering in diamond and rare earth, wild creatures exhibiting along the hallway as one can see. This long path leading straight to the throne room. At center, a blonde man, sitting comfortably on the throne, with his legs crossed, his chiseled cheek laying perfectly balanced on his knuckle. The king,in his rightful seat, looks down at someone as he beckons her to approach him. From his point of view, a young servant, dark long hair in elegant red dress, her face is covered by thin veil, she is carrying a plate of fruit and is walking towards him. The king, as he finishes petting the lion next to him, with his index finger lures to her to come closer. The girl, in a state of fragment confusion, stands there completely silent. She never has thought the king would have taken an interest in her. But her delay in reaction angers the King, he shouts once again and commands her to approach him at once. The girl picks up her pace, arrives in his throne without hesitation, kneels down with both legs and holds up the plates of offering and attempts to avoid any possible eye contact with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That effort is fruitless, the golden king in light reflection as the sun passing off daylight. His presence is the ascension of gods. The girl takes a peek at him closely, his skin silky, his body busty, his lip lushes in the perfect color of red. His face is beautiful as the reflection projecting a ray of hope and courage from it. However, the King notices her gaze as she quickly lowers her head. A fatal mistake as she is thinking about it, gazing upon the King is a death sentence for a mere commoner. Instead, the King simply picks up a cluster of grapes and takes a bite out of it, judging from his reaction the blonde man has no appetite for freshly picked grapes or whatever produces, as he flings away the cluster of grapes and tosses her fruit plate away. As the gold plate falls on the floor with a loud clack, he lifts up the servant’s chin and looks at her directly with such a smile. The girl, her eyes gazing at him, and yet she can not see his face, his eyes, nor his expression. Only a smile and dazzling reflection of blurry light from his gold. At once, their lips touch, she blinks out of surprises, and next thing she sees: a different room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A library, perhaps, shelves of books stack across the hallway. The candle she is holding is beaming bright, warming her hands as she is holding it. She sees herself in a mirror reflection as she continues walking, no longer in that red dress, instead a blue dress tinted with gold, her lips are red, her hair still dark and beautiful. And soon, she sees a figure sleeping on top of books, it is the King, he has been dozing off again. And out of instinct, she puts down the candle, and puts a coat around him. Where did she get that coat? It doesn’t matter, as long as he is warm and safe. Just as she is about to reach out to him, she feels that ground suddenly shaking in violence, the candle light fizzles out by a harsh gust of wind and the room becomes pitch black. And she is floating in a dark empty void, the girl looks around, a space of complete darkness and no one is with her, not even her beloved King. She is naked, in a dark space, just then she has felt something, a moving crimson line glows on her arm in the complete darkness. Her heart starts to race, then sudden pains from her other arm, another line wrapping slowly in twisted pattern. And then, the pain from her arm is gone again in the flash of a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bump. Bump.Bump,Bump</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sound of beating breaks away the silent in darkness, is that a sound of a drum? No it can’t be, no drum has a rhythmic pattern of sound. Why does it sound like it is picking up the pace? Why does it sound like a human heart beating? You can’t be serious, how can I hear a human---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she tries to calm herself by putting hands on the chest, she feels a breeze of air passing through her hand. She looks down, a gaping hole craves wide open across her chest, her beating heart is naked on display, without any flesh protection. She suddenly sees the red glowing red line leaking out from the heart and she can’t breath! These red vines are crawling up to her neck and choking the airway! No time to get away, as she struggles to pull away the vine it gets tighter and it is choking her out of air, she CAN’T BREATH, SHE CAN-T!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Heiress opens her eyes with irregular breathing as she feels like she can’t breath. Looking around, she is on the private plane, in the comfortable leather seating with widened spaces. Mahogany furniture decorate the interior, rare paintings filling the wall and diamond chandeliers hanging above. She stretches her hand to find that she is back in reality, but that commotion hasn’t gone unnoticed by her fellow passengers.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master,” Arjuna, rushes over to her side and puts his hand on her forehead to check her well being. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is nothing, Archer,” she blushes as she still has not gotten used to his face being close to her. “A bad dream, that’s all. Don’t worry about me, there is nothing I can’t handle it” she shows a sign of relief when she makes contact with Arjuna’s beaming eyes. A true sign of reality and safety for her at least. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes showing concern will not let go of her, as he retracts away. Even so, her face looks so pale, difficult to breath, as if she has seen ghosts. The Archer hands her off a handkerchief to wipe off the cold sweat. Before she has time to fully recover, footsteps are approaching her in slow motion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure about that,” coming from a corner, a question with a sense of mockery and irony, the Onmyoji steps out of the shadow and gazes at her with a big grin. “You looked like you were having a good time from the beginning, and then at the end, not so much.” the boy points at her and makes a clicking sound at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said I am fine, shamen,” the girl lets out a deep sigh and tries to recollect herself. “It is none of your business anyways. Where are we going? You have not told me a damn thing since we left Japan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“British isles, that’s where we are heading.” The boy points to the English channel on the map. “We will drop you off in London port, and head for Ireland before making our move to Atlantis. ”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to go direct Atlan-” she jumps in as the shamen continues on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Denied, there is no way in hell I will let you step on foot of Atlantis soil” hearing her request, he pulls away the map on the table without looking at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t even hear my reasoning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need to, your reasons most likely would have something to do with that you want to support Arjuna in some ways in the battle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should be able to go!” She stands up from her chair and crosses her arms, demanding him to compromise</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not part of the contract, we agreed that I will fight on your behalf. We explicitly agree that you do not show any presence during this. Can you imagine how the world would react if they caught an heir to the number one company in the world fighting on a deserted continent?” With it, his face relaxes, putting his hand on her as an assurance. “I won’t let anything happen with Archer, he won’t die.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looks back at him, a gentle face compared to what he used to have, an expression of assurance and tranquility and yet something sinister about his smile. Just like that, the devilish grin returns as he asks her about the dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, tell me about those dreams you have been having.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “What’s there to tell, there are just dreams. And besides, how do you even know I have had dreams to begin with?” What he has said earlier really intrigues her very much, and can he knows about the scenario and scares she has been having. “Do you have anything to do with it, cause I swear, if you do, I will kill you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Onmyoji snickers, glares back and tilts his head. His eyes directly gaze at her without blinking, and just said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not, our relationship prohibits me from harming you. You can rest assured, that is just a dream.” Then his eyes, blinking at her once more, with it he asks her this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever heard about the Tale of the Lost Queen of Babylon and her cursed treasure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t believe I have,” she looks at him with confusion, “What does that have to with anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Want to hear about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not particularly, but since you asked about it, it means you want to talk about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rolls her eyes as a sign of disbelief, “You are like a child who just wants attention.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tch” he makes an noise, but quickly replies, “what if I tell you that hearing about this story will help us to win the War?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If that’s the case, and it will allow Arjuna to have an advantage.” She looks at Archer to seek his approval. “Let’s see what you have on this story.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about let’s do it over afternoon tea?” Onmyoji walks away in great stride into the next cabinet without looking back at her or Arjuna. “I could really use some food by now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rude little-” She tries to comb her hair with hair out of frustration, “This is my plane, he walks around like he owns it. Uggghhhhh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she and Arjuna approach the door that opens the next cabinet, just as the girl is about to open the door. Arjuna suddenly feels awkward, his blood boiling, his nerve on edge, a rush of adrenaline arrives at his guts, he transforms into his white robe without thinking. Without a moment's notice, he grabs her hand away from the door.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master,” Arjuna looks at her, without saying anything, just looks at her in complete silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Archer what is wrong?” her question shows a sign of confusion, “Do you feel unwell?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No it is not that, I just feel like there is something dangerous behind that door.” Archer puts his body in between the door and the girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t be serious, this is my private jet, and beside this plane’s security is top notch! It is only a dining cabinet on the other side.” She puts her hand on his hand just to try to calm him down, but only to find he is shivering, cold and shaking. She can feel the whole body twitching out of nervousness. She can see him gulping, his lips are dried, his veins visible from this episode. Now she understands this feeling, it is the same type of fear that she just has awakened from.    </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master, please stand behind me,” Arjuna puts his hand on the doorknob once more and the girl automatically stands behind him as she nods slightly as an affirmative.  Arjuna opens the door slowly as it creeps away, the dining cabinet is completely transformed,  no more rich expensive furniture, dazzling chandelier or exquisite silverware, instead it is just a room with pure white walls, with an elongated conference table in the front. On one side of the table, an empty chair and on the other, the Japanese shamen sitting comfortably in it, as he swirls the chair out of boredom. And there is a tall pale man with lush red hair standing next to him, in complete silence, with pitch dark fur coat and gold plated leggings. A large earring pierced at his ear lobe. And the sound of the door opening alerts both of them. The boy stops spinning and looks at them both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you made it! Sorry about the room, I kinda just took it over!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pale man on the other hand makes direct eye contact with Archer, their visions meet and without a moment of delay, Arjuna’s stoic and nervous face turns, he knows that pale man, that earrings, and that gaze. There is no doubt about it, what is he doing here, why is he here, how is this possible?!     </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So you never told me your full name.” The Journalist looks at her fellow passenger as both of them sit uncomfortably as the bus rocking on its way into the city. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? I already have told you who I am.” The boy turns away from her and looks outside of the vibrating window and answers her question with a nonchalant attitude. As the foggy weather blindsides the coastline, sporadic droplets keep hitting the window, grey compromises as the rainy sky as the duo travels from the airport to inner city. He lets out a sigh and glances back at her “It is Ren, my full name is Akabane Ren. I honestly do not care what you call me, Rachel.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Reporter flicks her finger against his forehead, she looks at him with a glare,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep my name on the low, no one is supposed to know that I am here. Don’t you know what an alias is?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren, looks back at her without saying anything, shrugs and holds up her press badge on her neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should probably hide this then, it says your name is Rachel-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright I get your point.” as she tosses the press badge in her duffel bag nervously, “so, what exactly do you want to do in Ireland?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well for one thing, to investigate a missing person,” Ren pulls out the T.A. badge from before, “when I was on the way to meet you, I stumbled upon this badge and its owner has gone missing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, you are telling me that we were in England for the past two weeks and you just found a University of Edinburgh badge in London last night?”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Ren hands over the badge to her, she takes a closer look and continues to question him in the usual manner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is impossible, there is no way you can travel between Ireland and England without alerting the authorities, for god sake, you don’t even have a passport for the plane. We have to take a private charter and that costs me plenty. Well, what’s your plan with this Abigail?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not sure, but first, I need to make sure she still exists.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Rachel gives off an impression of confusion after hearing that. “Can you speak in normal human terms? Do you mean you want to check up on her if she is still alive?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I need to check if she has not been removed from reality in both physical and astral plane.” Ren points at the map Rachel is holding in her hand. “What’s your goal for this diversion from the trip?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rachel just looks at him with a “why did I even bother to ask, this kid way too weird” thought until he asks her what’s her goal. Knowing that’s something both of them can understand, so she starts to explain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, from what I have gathered, Nautilus is planning to build a research facility on the base of the University, since the campus itself has received numerous donations that can be linked back to Nautilus. Not to mention, this facility is closest to Atlantis itself, Nautilus completely made sure itself has the access rights to all of the sea region of English channel. So, the pathway into the connintial region is to find something that should allow us to find an access point, something like documents or identifications.” She points to the marking on the southern part of map of Ireland, “from here, we should be catching a tourist cruise onto Atlantis. The fare is generally affordable compared to what we have paid for the charter from England. And once we land on Atlantis itself, then we have to figure out from there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok” Ren answers it as he glances away from her and back at staring at the window. Rachel feels a hint of sadness and melancholy from him, as she is just about to ask Ren if there is something wrong. Suddenly, the rocking bus halts in a sudden fashion. Barricades blocking its way as beyond the barricades is a scene of traffic. Two heavy roadblocks collide with each other to form a checkpoint and men in full black armor guarding the flow of the highways. Ren stays in his seat while Rachel stands up a little to take a peek from her seat to examine the commotion. As the bus driver rolls down his window and makes his inquiries. The bus door opens, a unit of soldiers in black tactical armor with advanced weaponry enter the vehicle led by the man with a scar on his right cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” the man with a scar talks in a loud voice, “I am 2nd lieutenant Leon O’Neil of the Atlantica-Peace Corps 12th division and as you can see, there has been a traffic checkpoint before you. However, this is no ordinary checkpoint. I believe that it is caused----”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great, the Nautilus goons are this part of the world too? Rachel reacts to O’Neil’s proclamation with disgust. “This is a sovereign nation and I can’t believe they can just barge in and have authority like this.” Without hesitation, she pulls up the hoodie all the way up for Ren and completely covers his face. “Not a word, Ren,you got me?” Rachel commands the boy to stay hidden. And Ren gives a silent confirmation.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“---by a terrorist group” the lieutenant continues as he walks across the bus and closely examines every passenger. “Thus, in order to assure everyone’s safety the Irish government has allowed us to set up checkpoints to prevent them from escaping away from the city and capture any of them comrades coming into the city. So in order to help us to track them down. We have received special permission to check everyone’s identification. So if all of you are so kind and present to us your documents.” O’Neil stands next where Rachel is sitting and finishes his declaration, turns to her and gives her a gentle nod. “Please do not be worried, it will be over quickly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rachel nodes back with an awkward smile and looks completely disoriented from the lieutenant’s feature. A muscular fellow in his early 30’s, not so boorish upfront from before, brunette with beautiful blue eyes in clad black armory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ma’am” he lets out his hand, “your identification, please. I do apologize for commotion, but we would like it to be thorough for everyone’s sake.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” she hands him her fake passport, as he takes a look at it. She can feel the anxiety and pressure to see if her forgery can pass human eyes. Oh what if we get caught here, I should have stayed in New York, I can’t get caught here, not anymore. I have to make it to Atlantis to find out the truth. As the girl tries for the handgun she has hidden in her purse.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The lieutenant flips through the passport and hands it back to her just about to reach her gun, she quickly replies with an appropriate reaction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It seems like everything is in order, Miss Takami.” The officer smiles at her and continues. “I was wondering, if there is someon-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, he is my little brother,” Rachel starts to panic as O’Neil focuses his question onto Ren. “Sorry, he has been under the weather, so all he does is sleep ever since we got off the plan-” As she turns around only to find Ren missing. And that startles her, he just disappears once again. So, she turns around and is about to apologize.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she hears the sound of machine crackling as she returns to find the lieutenant’s head has been severed by a red sharp blade, As his body tumbles onto the floor, his neck region exposes with wires and mechanical parts, as the electricity sparking out. She tries to gasp, only to see Ren standing behind the lieutenant dead body. As she can barely recover, a stream of sharp spears travels across the bus and impales all of the soldier's head and results in a tiny explosion. Just like their commander, the soldiers are not humans. The other passengers look at him with a sense of danger from their eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Somnum Automatopoetus” Ren glances around the bus and within seconds, everyone aside from Rachel and Ren is knocked out by his spell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is that?” Rachel demands an answer from him, “I could have handled him perfectly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was an level 5 Anti-Personnel Annihilation Device, your weapons and spells won't be able to do anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well we can’t just walk out of there like that? And what did you do to the people on the bus?!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I already have taken out the two Automata guarding the post. I just put them in sleep”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not what I mean, what the hell is going on, how do you even know he is a robot?” She grabs his arm for an answer</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If there is a Anti-Personnel Annihilation Device on the island, that means we need to move quickly than we already had planned” He looks at her and tires to calm himself. There is a voice of panic in his statement, a hint of fear and desperation reeks from what he just said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you talking about, I mean these are a bunch of robots.You seem fine taking them on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If these types are here,” Ren holds up the dead lieutenant’s head and as it reverts back to its robotic form with one giant red eye and sharp edges for its face. He crushes it so hard, the head turns into dust. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My past just caught up to me.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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